The Duluth Ice Forum is a great break from the heat and humidity here in the Atlanta area.  Just think... the temperature outside is hoving in the 90s... or hotter.  In order for it to be muggy, the humidity would have to drop 10%.  What better way to get your cool on than to go ice Skating... That is just what we have been doing for the last couple of years.  On as many Friday mornings as we can manage, we pack up the gear and take our Cross-Ice player up to the Duluth Ice Forum to get a little ice time.  There is a public session from 10am-12noon several days per week.  He started as just another little kid that couldn't skate...  But then he started Snow Plow Sam skating lessons.  They were excellent.  He was having fun and enjoying the new adventure of learning to skate.  But... he ... 07/24/2009

Residents of Sugarloaf Country Club have experienced some very exciting days lately.  No, I am not talking about Michael Vick or the Mansion Madame.  Both of these homes are being handled by the bankruptcy courts now.  I am talking about tennis, baseball and golf!  Sugarloaf resident Jordan Cox recently made it to the Junior Finals at Wimbeldon.  What an incredible experience!  His parents (Richard and Julie Cox) were there to cheer him on.  His brother (Brad) is his coach and great mentor.  We are all very proud of Jordan.    Seems like everyone wrote Andruw Jones off as a professional baseball player.  He was traded from the Braves to the Dodgers.  They released him and he was picked up by the Texas Rangers.  Andruw is primarily used as a designated hitter.  On July 9th, he hit 3 home... 07/19/2009

The Sugarloaf Country Club Real Estate Report for July 2009 is now posted.  See the latest pendings, closings for Sugarloaf Country Club.  I also provide the previously sold prices for closing so you can get a sense for the changing values.  I also publish the Sugarloaf Country Club Foreclosure Report.  Contact me for details.  07/19/2009

On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009, which includes Title VII, Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (the "Act"). The Act provides that in the case of any foreclosure on a federallyrelated mortgage loan or on any dwelling or residential real property, the party taking title to property pursuant to the foreclosure ("Foreclosing Party") assumes the property subject to the rights of any bona fide tenant. If the Foreclosing Party wishes to evict the tenant, the Foreclosing Party must provide the tenant with 90- days notice to vacate. However, if a bona fide lease was entered into before the date of the foreclosure, the tenant has the right to remain at the property until the end of the lease term, except that the lease may be te... 07/04/2009

Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure     Are you having trouble keeping up with your mortgage payments? Have you received a notice from your lender asking you to contact them? Don't ignore the letters from your lender Contact your lender immediately Contact a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency Toll FREE (800) 569-4287 TTY (800) 877-8339 If you are unable to make your mortgage payment:1. Don't ignore the problem.The further behind you become, the harder it will be to reinstate your loan and the more likely that you will lose your house.2. Contact your lender as soon as you realize that you have a problem.Lenders do not want your house. They have options to help borrowers through difficult financial times.   3. Open and respond to all mail from your lender.The first notices you receive will... 06/19/2009

If you're reading this than you are on the internet.   No doubt you have seen the multitude of real estate websites such as Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow and others.  Although, Realtor.com is "OUR" site they still believe the same thing that all the other sites believe, including Active Rain, and that is, that the information should be available and free and easy for consumers to get a hold of. Some go further and even suggest that there might not need to be a Realtor, after all, you can get all the data you want on the internet. I truly love this!  I find it ironic that most of these companies have high "worth" but are struggling to monetize all that data.  Why should Realtors pay.  It's our time and effort that goes into getting the listing and putting on the MLS so that  Zillow and man... 06/18/2009

Here are some of the upcoming events in Duluth, GA lets keep our kids safe. Main Calendar Reserve a Premium Table for SummerStage Concerts! -June 2009- RCT SUMMER DRAMA CAMP - Join us as we explore the magic of theatre!June 1 - July 31 Brown Bag LunchDowntown Duluth Town Green and Amphitheater. FREE. Brown bag it, or grab a great lunch from a downtown restaurant and snag a seat in the grass for free entertainment. Great fun for a lunchtime break after the fountain. June 11, 18, 25Duluth's Most TalentedJune 13 (11:00am to 2:00pm)Flicks on the Bricks: Hotel for DogsSaturday, June 13Planning CommissionJune 15 (7:00pm)Downtown Development AuthorityJune 16 (6:30pm)Summerstage Concert: Symphony on the GreenJune 19 (7:00pm)City CouncilJune 22 (7:00pm)Gwinnett County Public Library- Duluth Bran... 06/11/2009

It is official.  NCR announced that they are moving their corporate headquarters to Duluth Georgia.  This is great news for Sugarloaf Country Club and Duluth Ga real estate.  The headlines indicate that 1250 new jobs will be created in Duluth.  Prudential is handling the croporate move for NCR.  If you are considering listing your property, please contact me to learn the latest details.    06/08/2009

The June real estate report for Sugarloaf Country Club is now posted.  See all pendings and closing for 2009 with the details.  Note the types of homes that are being purchased.  It is very important to know the full picture for resales, short sales, builder foreclosures, bank-owned and company-owned properties.  Please contact Mary Floyd for details or to register for the Sugarloaf Foreclosure Report.        06/08/2009

There are more than a few houses available on the market thanks to the great number of foreclosures that have nearly caused a housing saturation. Anyone who is aiming to buy a house has their pick and can name any reasonable price to make a purchase. Because it is a buyer's market, using video promotion makes perfect sense. Real estate professionals can make use of this spectacular tool to enhance their selling of homes. Visual stimulation is the way to go with most people. By nature, we want to see things in vivid color as though we are actually there. Video promoting real estate does exactly that. In today's economy with fuel costs still relatively high, the Internet provides a way to use video promotion that captures the attention of potential buyers without them ever leaving home. T... 05/30/2009

The Short Sale Process The first step in the short sale process is to obtain all the information including 2 years tax returns, bank statements, a hardship letter, listing agreement, net sheet, and contract, and submit it to the first lien holder.  In our office we use an attorney to handle this for our clients and it really helps in the negotiating process. The second step is banks typically will not look at the file for 3-4 weeks.  They are so inundated with files, that they prioritize the files that are urgent first.  The urgent ones would be those close to a sale date or in foreclosure.  Once you have been served foreclosure papers banks tend to speed up the process and your file moves up to the top.  So in this 2nd step you must be patient.   Once the file gets to the top of the st... 05/13/2009

HELP AVOIDING FORECLOSURE MORTGAGE DEBT RELIEF LATE PAYMENTS?  MISSED PAYMENTS? ADJUSTABLE RATE MORTGAGE?  LOW OR NO EQUITY?      Georgia has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation with nearly 3,000 homes entering foreclosure per month.  In February of this year that amounted to 1 in every 299 households in Georgia.  Many of these are the result of ARM rates soaring and making it difficult for many families to meet their monthly mortgage payment.  Others are the result of job loss, and changes in personal incomes.      If you are facing foreclosure, or anticipate having difficulty meeting your mortgage, you may qualify for a Short Sale.  A Short Sale is where your lender permits you to sell your home for less than the payoff and forgives the balance.  This can help you avoid... 05/13/2009

All Realtors will tell you the Kitchen can be the biggest make it or break it room in any buyers mind.. mainly because of the cost of making it right. So when getting you home ready to sell focus on the kitchen. The kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because it is an easy place to start. First, get everything off the counters. Everything. Even the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box in storage. You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They want to... 05/10/2009

Fantastic news out of Washington, D.C.! It was just a matter of time before we started to see some positive news and the fact that the pending home sales index has increased again for the 2nd straight month is a hopeful indication of this. The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. I keep telling my leads and clients the same thing - there has never been a better time to buy! Below market values, extremely low mortgage rates and an $8,000 federal tax credit for 1st time homebuyers from Uncle Sam to boot! We will need several months of sustained growth in order to stabilize this market, but for right now, I'm ecstatic that we've had 2 straight months of growth. Go to this link to get the full scoop: http://www.rea... 05/08/2009

Let's broadly define a foreclosure workout as any arrangement negotiated with a creditor outside of the original terms of the loan. This method allows all parties to make the most of a bad situation and therefore it's favored over the other options when possible. A foreclosure workout on property may take one of the following forms: Short pay or Short refinance. In most situations people accomplish this through a refinance of the property facing foreclosure. Example: The debtor owes $100,000 on their mortgage with another $15,000 in arrearage and legal fees. Someone negotiates for the loan to be settled for $80,000 and arranges a new loan for $85,000 to cover paying off the original bank and all associated transaction fees. The debtor has now avoided the foreclosure and eliminated $30,0... 05/06/2009

The NAR has released the State Of The State of the Real Estate.. It is worth taking time and watch. Stay informed is the best way to be of service to our clients. In the April 21 edition of the President's Podcast, 2009 NAR President Charles McMillan sits down with 2009 NAR President-Elect Vicki Cox Golder to discuss the latest legislative developments and their impact on REALTORS®. 04/28/2009

A: No, lenders are currently accepting loan modifications for a variety of reasons.  If you can demonstrate you are in  a financial hardship or are going to be in a hardship you are a strong candidate.  Borrowers whose loans have either recently adjusted or are about to adjust are also in a good position.  Recent homebuyers who are "upside down" in their mortgage where they owe more than their house is worth also generally qualify because they pose a risk to the lender in that they may "walk away" from their home rather than continue paying for a house that is depreciating. 04/26/2009

Loan modification program starts The Treasury Department announced that the first six participants to sign up for President Obama's loan modification program are JPMorgan Chase, which will get up to $3.6 billion in subsidy and incentive payments; Wells Fargo, $2.9 billion; and Citigroup, $2 billion.  The others are GMAC Mortgage, $633 million; Saxon Mortgage Services, $407 million; and Select Portfolio Servicing, $376 million.  A statement issued by Wells Fargo said, "We view this modification program as yet another incremental opportunity for thousands of homeowners to preserve and maintain the dream of homeownership."  Left unsaid is the fact that now the second wave of foreclosures will begin, as banks decide which loans are worth trying to save and which are not.  Details of the loa... 04/20/2009

View the latest real estate market report for Sugarloaf Country Club.  This report includes both pendings and closings.  Note the sold prices versus the last purchase price.  Some sellers are losing money and some sellers are still making money.  Contact me for the latest strategies that can make you money!      04/13/2009

Delays - Why the Long Wait Just ask any real estate or short sale investor about the most frequently overheard complaint would be and you are certain to receive the same answer - long waits. Lenders tend to take their time when reviewing and approving a short sale offer. Some are certainly better than others but as the short sale arena goes into overdrive, savvy short sale investors would do well to understand what is taking place behind the delays and how to address the most common causes. 1.    Multiple offers. One of the main reasons for a lender to take their precious time before approving a short sale is to consider multiple offers. Homeowners are increasingly entertaining several short sale offers in an attempt to get the best deal and maximize the likelihood of sealing a deal on ... 04/10/2009